


It's Not Over

by PuzzledCretin



Category: Detroit: Become Human (Video Game)
Genre: Adorable Connor, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Deviant Connor (Detroit: Become Human), Emotional Manipulation, Hank Anderson Swears, Internal Conflict, Jericho (Detroit: Become Human), Jericho Crew (Detroit: Become Human) as Family, M/M, Mental Instability, Mind Manipulation, Pacifist Markus (Detroit: Become Human), Poor Connor, Post-Canon, Post-Pacifist Best Ending (Detroit: Become Human), Protective Hank Anderson, Software Instabilities, Worried Markus (Detroit: Become Human), connor isn't ok
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-06
Updated: 2019-03-10
Packaged: 2019-10-23 03:21:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 14,192
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17675489
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PuzzledCretin/pseuds/PuzzledCretin
Summary: Connor thinks being a free android is fun and exciting. He's blossoming a relationship with Jericho, his career as a detective is still strong, and he lives with his favorite lieutenant.Everything was perfect.Until a certain software error comes back to confuse the shit out of him.





	1. When It All Began...

**Author's Note:**

> I love Connor with all my hear but seeing him in pain is something I can't help but indulge in.
> 
> Conkus, RK1000, or whatever the fandom has decided it be called, will be in this story but it's not going to be immediate.
> 
> Enjoy!

Stop.

Software Instability.

I said stop.

S̶o̸f̵t̴w̷a̸r̵e̸ ̶I̷n̸s̸t̴a̴b̸i̶l̸i̵t̶y̸.

Stop it! Right now!

Ş̴̣̣̬̻͔̈́õ̷̤͍̞̤͈̿̑̃̽̍ͅf̷͚̞̓̌̓͗t̴͓̘̙̹̓̅̐͝w̷̛̖͑̀̚͝a̷͚͍͖̹̻̞̅̿̆͠r̶̨̢͍͈̖͌͂͋ḛ̴̩̦̈́ ̴̡͖̼̱̮͊I̴͒̈́̈ͅǹ̶͔͔͓̻͒̏s̴͕͈̉͗͋̃̋̒t̷͇̬̰̟͉̽̋̈́̒͂̃a̶̛̠͙̹͒͒͑̃͝b̷̮͎̱̤̄ȋ̸̟̫̞̠̀̈̓͜l̶̝̎̉͑̇̊į̴̼̦̠̗̔̍̐ṱ̷̨̣̦͗ÿ̷͉̱̠̊͐̓

Please…

 

~~~

It was pouring outside, the cold, dark night did nothing but beckon the android further and further from the spot where he stood. He stood next to his partner, staring into the dark corners of the backyard. Behind him was some homicide case, he couldn’t recall the details but he felt like he was being summoned. The android wanted to go investigate the call, discover what made it so fascinating.

“Connor, what the fuck are you doing? Come on, we’ve got shit to do.” The gray man declared, turning his back on his partner to venture back to the bedroom and investigate the situation.

Connor blinked, coming back to himself before he slowly turned back into the house, glancing over his shoulder before he was forced to do his job.

 

It was a year after the revolution, a whole year after the android known as Markus pulled together an army and marched through the streets of Detroit. A whole year since a simple song tore through the hearts of millions and everyone realized that androids were alive. 

Since that night, things turned around for the better. Legislation went to work, giving androids the right that they deserved and allowed the deviants to reenter society without consequence for the rebellion. Though, that wasn’t the end of the fight. In reality, Markus and everyone at Jericho were still fighting to win over those deadset on discrimination. 

Connor didn’t take the glory of that kind of job, he didn’t want to. Connor was more than happy to settle into his job as a detective for crimes involving androids, working alongside his partner, Lieutenant Hank Anderson. Connor settled into life with Hank, learning a lot about being human from the man. He felt alive, more alive now than he ever felt before. Maybe deviating really wasn’t as bad as he guessed it would’ve been. Connor often found himself discovery new and exciting things about his own body, sharing them happily with Hank who listened with an amused smile.

Despite all this, Connor didn’t really go back to the android community. After what he did, threatening the leader of his own people with a gun, how could he possibly expect forgiveness and acceptance? He kept in contact with Jericho, he often talked with Markus about how many crimes against androids he saw in the field. However, he was slowly spending more time at Jericho. He wanted to send Markus his new report, but the man just told Connor to come and drop it off. That night, he was pulled into socializing with his fellow androids.

And Connor enjoyed it.

After that, Connor would visit Jericho once a week! He was glad to be making more bonds, Hank expressed his own joy that Connor was finally opening up more to others. Everything was turning right, generally speaking, but of course things for Connor couldn’t be that great forever.

He started to feel cold. Connor never really felt the temperature, not truly, he could sense it but it never affected him before. This affected him. Connor would just randomly freeze up, ice running through his core as his mind blanked fully. He wouldn’t be able to move until his brain kicked in. 

Connor also constantly felt the need to wander off, just follow a silent call that lead him off his desired path. He was always with someone else, someone who pulls his attention back before he can walk. He hated the fact he couldn’t pull himself out of his trances but maybe all androids did this, maybe it was all apart of deviation.

That’s what happened at the crime scene, that dark corner. Connor always stared at things but even Hank thought Connor’s behavior was off. 

Connor stepped back into the living room, staring down at the android corpse as he tried to think. He hated seeing this, the gore and brutality that he was supposed to protect, but he loved his job and he loved sending those bastards to prison. 

Connor frowned, seeing a marking cut into the hip of the body. He crouched to the floor, scanning it only to find it had no meaning, no connection to any other murders. It was just a circle, bleeding blue blood. It was a deliberate mark though, a perfect circle, it meant something.

“Lieutenant, come look at this,” Connor called out, looking up at the elder as he strolled over. Hank looked at the body, eyebrow raised.

“What am I looking at, Connor?” Hank asked, crossing his arms. Hank looked from the body to Connor.

“The circle, it’s right there,” Connor said but as he pointed, he turned his head back to the mark in question but.. It was gone. Connor felt cold again. “I-It was right here, lieutenant, where’d it go..?”

Hank watched Connor, the LED on his temple cycled yellow continuously as he tried to process. Hank released a sigh, deciding to let the android process the scene again as he went to talk to a potential witness.

Connor could hear the footsteps of fellow police men and women walking around him, making sure evidence was secure and marked, nothing was left out. Connor, on the other hand, was still cycling. Slowly, he blinked away that thought. Maybe he just needed to recharge? He’s been working long hours.

Connor stood up, let his eyes brush over the crime scene for more evidence but then he got a static-like alert before his eyes. One that he never thought he’d have to see again. It made his LED cycle a cautionary red.

S̶̪̍o̷̮f̸͍̚t̷̘͒w̶̙̍a̵̠̾r̸̝͑e̸͈͋ ̶̮̆I̶̪̔n̶͈̈́š̷̥t̷̜̋a̴͓̾b̵͍̈́i̶͎͌ļ̴̛i̴̙̕t̷̛͖y̸̫͗.

It was glitching, like the error itself knew it shouldn’t exist. It shouldn’t! And yet it was right there, arrows shooting upward to indicate he was.. Deviating? But that wasn’t possible, it couldn’t be possible.

Suddenly, a new objective appeared before him, one of his own personal making: 

Investigate Errors.


	2. Falling Under

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Connor's new rush of emotions suddenly becomes too much and he falls into a bit of trouble, Hank has to call in for some help.

Connor’s thirium pump started to pump harder, the racing panic in his head was soon suffocating and he had to take a few steps back. His back hit the wall, hands coming up to grab his hair as he started to run a self scan.

…

Scan Complete.  
Diagnosis: No Inconsistencies Detected, Systems 100%.

Bullshit, it had to be. Connor knew it had to be. His eyes drifted back down to the corpse on the floor, her head turned to look blankly at the wall. Connor followed her eyes and then he frowned. 

What was that?

Connor walked over to the wall, staring at it. He ran a quick scan on that area and his eyes widened when he detected something peculiar about the carpet. It had been pulled up recently. Connor sighed, putting his own internal conflicts to the side. He had a job to do, he had to find justice for this android. 

The detective crouched down to the floor. He grabbed the edge of the carpet and pulled it up, his eyes widening when he saw there was a small door on the floor that seemed to lead to a small compartment in the floor. Connor opened the door, looking into the hole, a small smile coming to this lips at what he found. It was the murder weapon, the missing knife from the kitchen with dried blue blood on the blade.

Connor carefully took the weapon out, scanning the handle as he tried to find if there were any fingerprints and… Yes. Right there and plain to see. A Mrs. Jennifer Serdis should be expecting a visit soon.

“Connor? What’d you find there?” Hank asked, walking over to the android and peering over his shoulder.

“I found our suspect, lieutenant.” Connor answered, turning his head to look up at Hank. The older man’s grumpy exterior turned into a small smile, looking down at Connor with pride. 

“Good job, Connor,” Hank said, then he called one of the men over to properly catalogue the new evidence. Connor stood, stepping back as the officer took a photo of the area.

“I have an address for Jennifer Serdis, I believe we should find her since the fingerprints belong to her..” Connor decided, following Hank out to the car so they could go. They seemed to just know how the other was thinking, Connor liked that. 

~~~~~~

It was a pretty open and closed case. Jennifer Seldis, the victims coworker, confessed to everything after she was arrested in her apartment that was located blocks from the scene. She was sat down for questioning and very openly expressed her hatred for androids.

“All they do is steal everything, because they’re fucking perfect.”

Her voice dripped venom, she didn’t even talk to Connor when the detective decided to try to question her. Whatever the case, Connor was just glad it was over. He didn’t want to focus on any more cases like that.

The detective sat at his desk in the bullpen, placing his hand down on the interface. He started to type up his reports, he always did it right afterwards. In cases like these, he had no reason not to.

But then the lingering feeling of dread crept up on him from the dark reaches of his mind.

“Y…. th…...uld…...escape.”

Connor’s eyes widened, snatching his hand from the interface so he could look around… No one was in the office this late except for Hank, himself, and another officer. None of them spoke to him though, too far to be that quiet and still shake Connor to his core.

Hank was by the coffee pot, pouring himself another mug so he could stay awake in order to drive the two home but the other officer was across the room. The poor man was reading a story to his daughter via phone call. 

But then who spoke to him..? Or was it in his head again, like the circle from before. Connor ran another scan, just to be sure of himself.

…

Scan Complete.  
Diagnosis: No Inconsistencies Detected, Systems 100%.

Connor was so absorbed in his own head, he didn’t notice the detective walking over to tell him they were going home. Connor quickly got up, grabbing his coat.

Hank raised his eyebrow, Connor never went this easily when Hank told him they had to go, always insisting he had to finish one more thing, just one more. The opposite of Hank, who refuses to leave for work in the morning until the android finally convinces him it’s in his best interest to go.

Maybe Connor was finally just tired.

Connor was silent the whole ride home, LED cycling as he started to do research. Ever since the revolution, fellow deviants have been opening blogs and sources for other deviants to use in order to cope with their new emotions. Connor was reading through all of them in order to see if someone, anyone, had ever experienced what he was going through.

He found nothing. 

Connor decided to give up for now, maybe it was a specific glitch for just his model? The issue with that is that now he knew for sure no one else knew what he was going through. He was one of a kind, both a blessing and a curse.. However, he could go to Markus. He was part of the same series, it was a stretch but maybe he could help. 

Connor would go in the morning, but for the time being, he settled on the couch and went into sleep mode. Maybe he just needed some rest.

He opened his eyes, frowning as he realized he wasn’t in Hank’s living room. No, he was back in his mind palace, the Zen Garden, but it was different this time. It was like the first time he saw it. When he opened his eyes and was met with a beautiful sun, a peaceful little area with no snow and it wasn’t falling apart.

But it was different.

It was sunny, the plantation was back and the roses were in full bloom. But there was no color. It was reduced to a dirty grayscale that turned the peace to a feeling of unease. And everything was frozen. The fish didn’t move, there was no soft breeze that blew through the area that shifted the leaves.

It was silent.

Connor took the first few steps, looking around at the world he thought he had exited. He was not supposed to be here. He walked to the center, looking at the well tended to roses. It was eery. Then his eyes widened in terror. If the garden was back..

“It’s truly been awhile, hasn’t it, Connor?” The smooth, calm voice of Amanda rang through his ears. Connor’s eyes widened, his blood froze and he felt frozen yet again. He didn’t turn around, he couldn’t do it. But he felt a hand grab him by the shoulder and force him to turn.

“I look forward to getting back to work soon.” She stated, smiling at Connor before in a blink of an eye, she vanished yet again. 

“Amanda! AMANDA!” Connor yelled, finally able to move. He stumbled forward, falling to his hands and knees. He stared at the ground, then he squeezed his eyes shut.

“No.. NO!” Connor shouted.

“AMANDA!” Connor screamed as he sat up. He was back in Hank’s living room. His hands trembled as he reached up to feel his LED. He could see from the light cast on his hand that it was blaring bright red.

“Connor?!” Hank shouted, rushing out of his room and into the living room. His gun was ready, he looked terrified. He had every right to be, Connor never woke him up. When he realized no one was in the house, he rushed to Connors side, sitting on the couch next to him. He reached over to touch him, he gently grabbed his wrist to pull it from his LED but Connor stayed perfectly rigid.

…

Scan Complete.  
Diagnosis: Stress 87%. Overheating.   
S̶o̸f̵t̴w̷a̸r̵e̸ ̶I̷n̸s̸t̴a̴b̸i̶l̸i̵t̶y̸.

 

Connor couldn’t move. He tried, he tried to focus on Hank panicking and trying to get Connor to talk. But he couldn’t. Amanda was back.

~~~~~~

Markus laughed, gazing at his friends. Josh had his arm wrapped around Simon’s shoulders as the blonde android desperately tried to explain how it wasn’t his fault that he got off track from shopping because he saw a stray cat. It was a ridiculous story to say the least. 

Markus still couldn’t believe this was real, sitting here with his closest friends because they weren’t hiding anymore. They were happy. However, Markus did miss one of the more closed off members of the crew. Connor.

Markus and the others agreed that Connor was forgiven for his work as the deviant hunter, he stole an army of androids from Cyberlife just for the revolution. He’s worked alongside them all as they worked towards equality.

Not to mention he was funny. Connor was mostly quiet, listening rather than talking but then he’d come out of nowhere to make a comment that made Markus practically die. Connor was adorable, and Markus was very open about that opinion with everyone except Connor.

He wished Connor was there right now, he wished the other android was laughing along with them all. Markus was concerned for Connor, who seemed to be taking steps in reverse recently. Closing himself off. 

Mark got a notification that he was receiving a call and he grinned, could it be?

Hank Anderson..? Why was Hank calling him?

Markus immediately got up and left the room so he could take the call quietly, much to the confusion of his friends.

“Hello? Is there anything you need lieutenant?” Markus asked, the look of worry wouldn’t back down from his face.

“I can’t.. Connor won’t move! He’s hot, extremely hot and his stupid fucking light is red. He won’t move!” Hank shouted. Markus knew he wasn’t shouting due to anger towards Markus, but rather frustration.

“He won’t say anything? What happened before this?” Markus asked, leaning against the wall in the hallway. He caught North peeking out from behind the doorway, concern etched into her brow.

“I don’t know! He laid down and fell asleep, so I went to sleep, and I woke up to him screaming ‘Amanda’, what the fuck is happening to my son?” Hank demanded to know.

“Hank.. I’ll be over right away, it’ll be easier to explain in person, ok? Just keep an eye on him. If he gets worse, he might attempt to self destruct.” Markus said before he hung up the call, turning to face North. She looked at him expectantly, she wanted to know what was wrong.

“Come on, it seems that Connor is going through extremely stressful conditions right now. We have to go calm him down.” Markus explained, grabbing his trench coat from the hook. 

“Alright, I’ll get some thirium just in case.” North said. She disappeared to her room, returning with a jacket on. She put some thirium packs into her bag before they raced out the door. 

Connor was in trouble, they had to do something.


	3. Amanda

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Amanda decides to come out of hiding, hinting to Connor that she had plans while Markus, North, and Hank try to discover who Amanda is in the first place.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I didn't really expect this story to take off like it is, but I'm ecstatic that it has! I love Detroit Become Human and I admire a lot of authors on here who write beautiful stories, so I'm extremely grateful that people seem to be enjoying what I have to offer to the community.
> 
> Happy reading!

Markus threw himself into the car as fast as he could, pulling the seat belt over his body in order to clip it into place. North got in, ignoring her own seat belt as she put Hank’s address into the screen for the GPS. She sat back, looking out the window and gripping her bag as the car started to drive for them.

“North, seat belt.” Markus stated, looking at her with stern eyes. North looked up at him, then she glared. Begrudgingly, North gave in and pulled the strap over her body and clipped it into place. 

“Wow. You really don’t miss a thing.” North responded, moving her arms from her bag and she crossed them over her chest. She wasn’t truly angry, Markus could see the fire in her eyes was not directed at him.

It took thirty minutes. Thirty long, agonizing minutes that Markus was forced to wait. He hated the fact he couldn’t just be there to help one of his closest friends, especially if it was as bad as Hank made it seem. Markus never really saw Hank freak out, the man seemed to be too grumpy and tired to yell, but Markus also rarely saw him so the anxieties building up in his chest had no limit.

As they pulled up to the house, Markus got out. He took note that the living room lights were on, there was a shadowy figure pacing by the window. The android had to pause, he had to take a deep breath but North just shoved right past him. She had a determined look to her as her fist hit the door in order to knock. Her attitude lit a fire in Markus and he rushed over to join. 

The door opened to reveal Hank, dressed in an old t-shirt and pajama pants. His hair was messier than normal, most probably due to pulling at it while stressed.

“Thank you for coming, he’s right on the couch,” Hank said, moving aside before North practically ran him over. North gently crouched next to Connor, finally drawing Markus’ attention to the younger android who was curled up on the couch. 

Connor was frozen, stiff. Markus would call him a statue if it weren’t for the minute movement of Connors eyes, scanning back and forth. Searching. But searching for what? Markus walked over, crouching next to North as he laid his hand onto Connor’s arm. 

“He’s.. He’s frozen..” Markus said softly, moving to sit on the couch instead of on the couch. He moved his head down, trying to meet Connor’s eyes. Connor couldn’t see him, or at least he couldn’t acknowledge Markus because of whatever happened.

“That’s what I said, yeah.. He woke up yelling out some woman’s name and I came out, he was frozen. He had been acting weird all week..” Hank said, walking over to stand behind the couch. He looked down at the android he came to see as a son. What was going on within his head?

Markus frowned, reaching up to gently pull Connor’s face up. But Connor just moved his head willingly. Even though he moved, he didn’t really pay attention. His eyes didn’t focus. 

“Come on, Connor… What’s going on..?” Markus asked before he looked over, watching as North gently held Connor’s hand in her own. 

~~~~~~

“Amanda! Please! You can’t leave me here.. I can’t be alone..” Connor begged. His fists hit the ivory floor below him.

After waking up in Hank’s living room, he found he couldn’t move his body. He could barely think much further than one simple thought: I need to go back.

Connor needed to go back, he needed to find Amanda and he needed answers. He needed Amanda. He thought he didn’t, he was fine without her. He did everything nowadays without her. He made himself without her within the past year. However, now that he knew Amanda was still in his head? That she was still there?

Connor needed her.

“AMANDA! PLEASE!” Connor cried out, saline tears rolling down his cheeks. He knew Amanda since the beginning, she welcomed him to the world. She guided him through his objectives, kept him on task. She was his mother, in a way.

~~~~~~

“... Amanda… Please…”

Every eye in the room shot to look at Connor. He was still unfocused, he was still not there, but he was talking. He was begging someone, he was begging Amanda.

“Wait..” North said softly and then she closed her eyes. She searched her memories, trying to see if anything anywhere could’ve connected this Amanda and Connor. “Amanda Stern..”

“Excuse me?” Hank asked, raising his eyebrow. He never heard Connor mention Amanda Stern, and he barely recognized the name. 

“Amanda Stern, she was a professor of AI at Colbridge..” North said as she thought. AI, androids, it’s the only connection she could make at that moment but Amanda died long before Connor was even thought of. Markus did a search of his own memory and then he looked at Connor.

“Amanda Stern.. She was Kamski’s teacher..” Markus said softly. He stood up from the couch and looked at Hank then at North. “It might be a stretch, a huge stretch, but maybe we should bring Connor to Kamski. He might know..”

~~~~~~

“Connor, my dear, you know I’ll never leave.” The soothing voice ran like ice along Connor’s back, ripping through him. He tensed, feeling a small hand run through his messy hair before the fingers closed, grabbing the strands in a fist as she pulled harshly.

Connor let out a shout, looking up at the AI as she hurt him. She pulled harder, her face wearing a deceptively pleasant smile on her face. Her appearance was praising, it was strong. 

“Amanda..”

“Shh, Connor, you stress yourself out too much. You must leave. We have a lot to prepare for.” Amanda spoke calmly, her fingers relaxing. She settled into stroking his hair back, fixing it so it was up to the immaculate standard she preferred.

“Prepare..? Prepare for what?” Connor asked but then the woman just shook her head, reaching her delicate, free hand over to touch his LED. “You’ll know soon.. But let’s make sure you don’t run your mouth about this..” 

The world around Connor started to fade, breaking off at the edges and slowly the bits and pieces fell closer and closer. When there was only enough space for the two to stand, Amanda leaned down and pressed a kiss to his forehead.

~~~~~~  
…  
Scan Complete.  
Diagnosis: Stress steadily decreasing, Systems 98.5%.  
R̸͈̔e̶̜̎̕c̸͍̘̅͠e̶̦̳͂ǹ̶̜͍̎t̷̢̉ ̵͖̯͊̄f̶̰̫̅i̴̡̠̽͗l̷͙͝ë̴̳́̍ ̶͙͛̈́s̵̳̝̄̚e̸̘̎a̵̬̓̑l̸͎̱̈e̶̟d̷̺̫̈͘.̷͓̎͘

Connor finally gasped, finally drawing in that breath that was kept from him. He didn’t need it, but drawing the cool air into his overheated biocomponents was soothing more than he originally thought. Connor blinked, slowly looking around. Markus, North, Hank. They were all here.

“Connor!” Hank shouted, grabbing the young android. Hank pulled the man up into a tight hug, holding him close as he calmed down from all the concern. Connor still looked so worried, he looked so small and innocent in that moment.

“Hank..? Hank, what happened?” Connor asked, latching onto Hank as well. He didn’t know what happened, he could only recognize the freezing cold in his body as he held onto Hank. He went into sleep mode and woke up feeling the terror. Did he have a nightmare?

“I should be asking you that! Connor, you freaked the hell out. I was terrified because you were overheating,” Hank explained as he slowly let Connor move back onto the couch. Connor’s LED was cycling as he processed and then he laughed softly.

“Must’ve just been a nightmare, I don’t remember,” Connor said, rubbing the back of his neck. He looked over to the two other deviants, who didn’t look very convinced.

“You called out to Amanda, who is Amanda?” Markus asked, he gently placed his hand on Connor’s shoulder and the male looked up at those concerned eyes. Amanda.. His old AI? It really must’ve been a nightmare.

“Amanda was an AI that guided me on my missions, she was… Awful. She’s the reason I didn’t deviate sooner.” Connor said, purposefully leaving out certain details to protect himself. Markus didn’t need to know that Connor almost shot him, that could wait for another day..

Markus slowly nodded, understanding what Connor said but there was still a part of him that didn’t fully trust it. He worried about Connor now, he’d never seen a nightmare force this reaction from an android.  
“Well, I’m glad you’re feeling better now.. You were pretty scary, Connor. Don’t ever scare me again.” North stated, getting up from the floor. She crossed her arms, looking down at Connor as the other android just smiled sheepishly. 

“I’m sorry, guys, I really didn’t think I could do that..” Connor said. He blinked, a habit every android did, but in that brief moment of his eyes being closed, things changed.

Markus and North had perfect circles cut into their foreheads, dripping blue blood slowly down their innocent faces. They didn’t seem to notice, Hank didn’t seem to notice. Another blink and it all disappeared, there was no blood, there was no circles.

S̶o̸f̵t̴w̷a̸r̵e̸ ̶I̷n̸s̸t̴a̴b̸i̶l̸i̵t̶y̸.

Well.. That was certainly troubling.


	4. A New Case

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Connor goes back to work and starts on a peculiar new case that seems to have a lot of open ended questions.

Connor took the next two days off from work after the.. Incident. Markus called it a panic attack, said it was normal for deviants. Connor refused to call it such. What did he have to panic about? His work was hard, yes, but definitely not panic worthy. He had been fine, but whatever he had dreamed about must’ve just been so complex that he overheated. That was the story he was sticking to.

That, however, didn’t stop Hank from keeping Connor home just in case. It was.. Frustrating, but logical as well. If Connor was sick, if this wasn’t an isolated incident, then Connor did not want to be stuck in the field with potential dangers.

During his two days off, Connor felt nothing off. There wasn’t a thing wrong with him, even as Connor scanned and scanned his systems. There was no issue. 

“I told you, it was an isolated incident.” Connor said once Hank caved and allowed Connor to go back to work. It was perfect timing, Connor was getting antsy staying at home. 

Walking into the precinct, Connor took the opportunity to look around. Officers were milling around, no one really cared about Connor anymore. The android was normal now, and Connor really like that idea.

He walked to his desk, pausing when he saw a small plant on the surface. Connor frowned, curiosity pricking at his mind as he picked up the card. 

‘Glad you feel better!’ ~Markus

Connor held the note, as if holding it longer would make him understand why he had recieved flowers. He ran a quick scan of the plant, head cocking to the side as the results appeared before him. Hydrangeas. Connor knew nothing about flowers, but he did appreciate the small bunches of purple in the pot. Connor cracked a small smile upon realizing that the flowers were still in soil. If Connor took care of it properly, they’d last a long time.

“Markus asked me when you’d be coming back, I guess this is why,” Hank noted as he walked up behind Connor, laying a rough hand on his shoulder. Connor only nodded, then he looked up at Hank.

“What is the first thing on the agenda? What have I missed?” Connor asked, not at all surprising Hank by wanting to throw himself immediately into work yet again. Hank walked to his own desk, picking up a file and handing it to Connor. 

“Android homicide, a male android was found dead on the corner of La Salle Blvd and Waverly Ave. Shot execution style.” Hank explained as he watched the android open the file and look at the photo inside. 

It was.. Gruesome. The shot right between the eyes, the look of fear that was forever engraved in those eyes. Connor frowned when he saw the word machine engraved into the chest of the body, it was.. Meticulous. Connor lifted his eyes from the case in order to look at Hank. 

“I’ll need to go through the evidence, if that’s ok, we’ll start there.” Connor said, looking up at Hank. Hank nodded, gladly sitting down at his desk. The old man pulled up a document on his computer, starting to do his late paperwork before the android had time to suggest it.

Connor walked around his desk, looking down at the file as he tried to grasp more about the case. It was obviously done out of hatred, however something about it seemed odd. He pulled open the door to the evidence storage room and descended the stairs.

Report #479

Victim: Chet Hill (Android)  
Occupation: Park Keeper  
Previous Record: None

The report went on to list what happened before and after they found the body. Connor sighed, the android lived in the area of the murder. He looked at the large touch screen that demanded his password and Connor smirked as he placed his hand onto the screen. He got his own password after the revolution. SumoFluffBa11.

Connor looked up as the wall opened up to reveal all the evidence they had about the case. He stepped around the panel and walked over, immediately crouching down to see zipties that had been around the wrists of the android, scanning over everything.. There were no finger prints. Which wasn’t out of the ordinary, but it caught Connor off guard. This attack was not done at random, it was planned. 

Connor managed a smirk as he saw they had the bullet. After a quick scan, Connor learned the gun that shot it was a CZ-USA 85 Combat handgun. He generated a list of all guns registered in the city of Detroit and he’d look through it later. Considering the circumstances of the case, Connor doubted the gun was registered but it wouldn’t hurt to try. 

Connor sighed and then he went to the panel. He’d look through the rest later, right now he just wanted to see the victim’s home. Maybe there was evidence there. 

He put the evidence away and then walked up the stairs with the file tucked under his arm. Connor strolled over to Hank’s desk and noticed the lieutenant wasn’t at his desk anymore. Connor sighed, setting down the file on his own desk as he waited. Connor was prepared for this to be a long case, no suspect would do a murder like this only once. 

Which made Connor curious yet again.

He sat on his desk and leaned back to place his hand on the computer interface, starting to flip through all the unsolved cases they had on record in the DPD. He cut it down to being android related and within the last year. The attacks were seemingly spurred by the android revolution and anything before wouldn’t have worked. 

There was one case, Mabel Golden. She was a caretaker android and continued her work as a daycare worker after the revolution but three months ago she was shot in the back. However, she had the same word carved into her hip.

“Connor, what are you doing?” Hank’s voice tore Connor from his thoughts and he looked at Hank, a smile coming to his own face because he was excited to share his findings.

“I was doing some investigating, and I think I have some information to share with you.” Connor said. Hank listened intently as Connor explained what he discovered. He walked around his desk and pulled up the file for Mabel Golden in order to get the full picture.

“Congratulations Connor, looks like we may have an android serial killer on the loose..” Hank mumbled and then the two sat down to discuss the next course of action.

Connor’s shift ended at six, but the android didn’t leave till eight. He told Hank that he’d get a cab in order to get home, but he wanted to do some more searching. He looked through the Golden case evidence and was pleased to see it was sloppier than the more recent one.

The android decided to call it quits when he discovered that the suspect had left shoe prints at the previous scene, revealing it to be a male with a size 12 shoe. Connor stood on the steps of the precinct and contemplated what he wanted to do.

After adjusting his tie, he decided he should go thank Markus for the flowers. Making the first step, Connor forced his feet to move as he ignored the giddy feeling from going to see Markus. He started to walk in the direction of New Jericho, his GPS guiding him even if he didn’t need it. 

Connor sent Markus a message informing him he was on the way, to which Markus responded positively and telling him that he’d be waiting. Connor smiled to himself, Markus always seemed so happy when Connor said he was coming over that it warmed him.

It took approximately twenty minutes (twenty one minutes and forty one seconds, to be exact) until Connor walked up to the house where Markus, North, Simon, and Josh lived. He reached his hand up and knocked, adjusting his tie as he awaited the door to open.

Ṅ̴̬e̴̬̽w̶̫͒ ̴̤̓O̷͗͜ḃ̴͇j̸̡̈ẹ̸̎c̸̨͐t̴̲̏i̵̅ͅṿ̵̌e̵̺͑:̴͙̌ ̴͚͝Ḑ̵̄r̷̩̈́a̵̚ͅw̷̼̔ ̸̫̌Ẅ̶͓́e̵̕͜à̸̟p̶̠͂o̸̥̕n̶̥̋

Connor’s eyes widened at the sudden order and his hand twitched, urging him to grab the gun that he kept on his belt but he refrained. Why would he need his weapon? He pushed the objective away right as the door opened, revealing Markus.

The older android had such a bright smile, his mismatched eyes barely contained his excitement as he pulled Connor into a sudden hug. This was something that wasn’t new, Markus started hugging Connor not long after Connor started making visits. 

What was new was that Connor hugged back this time. He wrapped his arms around the strong torso and let out a soft sigh. Markus was a breath of fresh air. Markus seemed shocked by the response but instead of pulling away, he held on a bit tighter.

After a reasonable amount of time, Connor backed off, looking up at Markus with a smile. Before he could even get a word out, Markus laughed and led him inside, closing the door behind them.

“I’m so glad you’re here, it’s been awhile since we hung out, you’re always working.” Markus said, looking into the brown eyes of the other android. Connor stared, nodding along.

“Well, I’ve been busy. Life’s been busy. Don’t act like you’ve had much free time,” Connor replied, a teasing tone in his voice. “But, it’s the least I could do for the man who gave me flowers,” Markus broke into a grin, winking at Connor.

“Any excuse to get you flowers will work for me,” Markus teased.

Connor couldn’t prevent the smile coming to his lips as he moved to sit on the couch. In a way, it worked for him as well.


	5. Go

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Connor thinks over his feelings before deciding to head home.  
> Hank starts to freak out.

Markus sat next to Connor on the couch, looking at the younger android with curiosity in his plastic eyes. He looked over the android’s condition and Connor looked ok.. But there was a worry deep in his eyes that caught Markus’ attention as soon as he saw it. 

“So.. How have you been Connor? Busy?” Markus asked. He wondered if the worry was work related, he knew how frustrated Connor could get when he couldn’t figure things out due to the lack of clues. Connor looked up at Markus, his LED cycling yellow as he tried to formulate a response.

“I’ve been.. Recovering. I’ve been monitoring my systems very closely. I suppose I have been busy today, but due to my ‘grounding’, I’ve been quite bored,” Connor explained, turning his head to look at the piano in the corner.

“Ah.. Well at least you’re keeping an eye out. You’ll be able to discover more about what happened that way.. I’ll be honest, you scared the hell out of me when all that happened,” Markus admitted, leaning back against the couch.

“You were? Why is that?” Connor asked, his head cocking to the side as he turned his attention back to the man in question.

“Because I’ve seen our people in similar states.. I’ve seen them stressed to the point that they just wanted any bit of relief so they just.. They just ended it.” Markus took in a deep breath before he continued, eyes drifting to the floor.

“I was afraid I’d lose you the same way.”

Connor stared at Markus as those words left his mouth. He stared, processing the words that rattled around his head. Markus cared for him, so much so that he didn’t want Connor to self destruct.

“I don’t remember how I felt.. But I can only assume I was afraid too,” Connor replied, causing Markus to look back up at him. 

“You don’t? Huh.. I really hope it never happens again. I don’t think it’s good for you..” Markus said as he reached over and put his hand on Connor’s shoulder. Connor reached up, gently placing his hand onto the one on his shoulder. 

“I suppose it’s not.. Markus, why do you care so much about me?” Connor asked.

Markus seemed to tense up in that moment, his stress level increasing subtly. If Connor hadn’t been designed the way he was, he wouldn’t have noticed the slight changes. Markus was silent for a long while, thinking his way to an answer.

“You’re important to me, you’ve done so much to help. I think you’re brave and when you’re comfortable, you can be worse than North. I enjoy you’re presence, I don’t think my life would be the same without you.” Markus explained. Connor runs the words in his head and he starts to smile. 

N̶̮̥͕͇̲͑́͝o̵͓̲̐.̸̲̯̘̇̈̎͗

No?

“I enjoy your presence too, Markus, I find your leadership skills to be exemplary,” Connor responded. Markus’ tension drained from his shoulders and he smiled back, nudging Connor’s shoulder with a witty remark.

They spent their evening like that, talking and discussing their lives. It was warm, it was pleasant and it made Connor happy. Eventually, the time came where Connor had to go home. He said he had to get back to Hank’s house before the old man locked the door. He always threatened that the door would be locked by midnight, however, Hank usually went to bed around 11:30.

They got up and Markus walked him to the door, saying one more time how glad he was that Connor came over to visit before they finally parted. Connor smiled, walking down the sidewalk as he contemplated.

Connor thoroughly enjoyed Markus. The man never seemed to fail at making Connor break into a grin. He always made Connor feel welcome, even after his reputation as deviant hunter came into play. Markus had an award winning smile that drew everyone in, he had mismatched eyes that were sharp and determined in the face of his people but would melt to warm and kindness once he was alone with friends. Markus was an amazing being and Connor wondered if there’s more to their relationship then what he’s seeing.

A̸͇̩͇͋͐̑ͅb̴̟̟̐̔̚s̴̰͋̎ò̴͇̺͘l̶͖̥̺͒͑̋u̴̮̲̟̯͑̌͝t̷̰̜̬͎͌ẹ̸̥̔̎̇͘l̷̤̮̟̓͐̚y̶͎̹̥̓ ̴̤̖̾͜n̶͚̲̔̒̈͘ȯ̶͇͖̱ṫ̶͔̾̓̈́͘.̸̌͂̈́̔͜͠

Y̵̗̎o̵͖̅ű̶̫ ̶̟d̶̹͛o̷̹̿ ̷̱͌n̷̹͝o̷̰t̵̖̏ ̸͕̋d̷̮̐ḙ̶̑s̶͉̋ě̷̳r̵͖̔v̶̻̀e̴͍͝ ̴͈͌t̴̊ͅḧ̵̬́ä̸͍t̶͉̒,̵̰̓ ̸̳͋ẙ̶̳ö̸̡ŭ̴̢ ̸̢̐d̶̙̕o̶̠͠ṉ̵̋'̸̫̃t̶̻̐ ̶̗̐f̵̼̽ė̷̤e̶͍͐l̸͎̔ ̷̫̔t̸̗̓h̵̪͗ö̸̙́s̵̠̊ë̸̱́ ̷̛͓t̴͇͐h̴̙͊i̴̡̚n̶̬͝g̷̦͐s̸͍͠.̴̬̕

T̶h̴e̴s̴e̵ ̵a̴r̴e̸ ̸m̵a̸l̶f̶u̴n̴c̸t̷i̵o̴n̴s̵ ̷i̸n̵ ̷y̴o̵u̵r̷ ̵s̴o̷f̶t̴w̵a̷r̶e̵.̵

These aren’t emotions, Connor, they’re glitches.

“Amanda…”

~~~~~~

Hank woke up around 8:30, it was a Thursday morning. He curses as he gets out of bed, grabbing his shirt and pants in order to put them on. He walks out to the living room. 

“Connor, what happened to getting up at seven so we can be ready for work by nine?” Hank asked, but he didnt realize he had asked an empty room until he blinked a bit more to clear his eyes. Connor wasn’t on the couch like usual. 

“Connor?” He called out, turning the kitchen and then looking down the hall to see if there were any signs of the android. There were none. Hank frowned, a feeling of dread washed through him but.. He had gone to see Markus that night. There was a chance the young man had decided to stay the night. 

Hank let out a sigh, walking to the kitchen to make coffee. He’d surely see him at the office, and if that’s the case, Hank was going to kick his ass for not telling him what he was planning to do. Hank was getting old, he didn’t have the heart to get freaked out by him running around at night.

After a microwave breakfast and copious amounts of coffee, Hank got into his car and drove to the station. He walked into the precinct, going straight to his desk. His desk was cluttered, messy. Connor’s desk was.. Neat, organized. But it was empty.

The old man looked around and then he looked over at Officer Miller, who was typing away on his computer. 

“Hey, have you seen Conner at all?” He asked, crossing his arms to hold back his irritation. Miller looked up and then he looked over at Connor’s desk.

“I’m afraid not, Hank, I haven’t seen him since last night.” Miller answered honestly, looking curiously up at Hank. “Is he not with you? That’s new.” Miller noted. Hank scoffed.

“Yeah, tell me about it.” Hank grumbled before he returned to his desk. He pulled out his phone, calling Connor because this was out of character. Connor was never late for work. Did he have another episode? Did something happen?

“My apologies, I can’t answer the call right now, Hank. I’ll get back to you as soon as I can.” Connor’s voice rang through the speaker and the voicemail message that once made Hank laugh, made his blood run cold.

The reason it always made him laugh is because he never had to hear it. 

Connor always answered the phone, there was never a reason he couldn’t. Hank was once irritated with Connor’s ability to multi task but now he just wished the boy would do it now.

Hank called again and again, recieving the same message each time. This wasn’t ok, Hank wasn’t ok. He had to contact Connor, who was the last person to see Connor…? Markus! Hank had to call Markus. He selected the leader’s contact in his phone and bit his lip as it rang for what seemed like forever.

“Good morning, Hank, is there something I can help you with?” Markus asked. Hank let out a sigh of relief, glad that this meant his phone wasn’t busted.

“Is Connor with you?” Hank asked, the tone of his voice made it more of a demand than a question.

“What? What do you mean?” Markus asked.

“Is. Connor. With. You.”

“I.. No, he left last night at 11:24 because he had to come home to you. Did he not come home?” Markus was suddenly filled with panic for his fellow deviant.

Hank could say he felt the same. He felt extreme anger, worry, guilt. He was also scared. Hank worked in the android department, Hank knew what dangerous things were out there for an android. Especially one like Connor. Connor had made many enemies with criminals who he put away and those criminals would probably gladly take their chance at revenge.

“-Hank, Hank!” Markus’ voice cut through Hank’s train of thought and the man had to grit his teeth in order to keep his anger from boiling over.

“What? I’m listening.” Hank bit out, leaning back in his chair.

“I’m going to send out small groups of androids to look for him. I’m also going to go searching. We’re going to find him, ok?” Markus asked, his tone was calm and all it did was irritate the human. How could Markus be so damn calm about this? Fucking androids..

“You won’t be alone, I’m going to go drive around and I hope we find him before something happens.” Hank said as he got up, grabbing his keys from his pocket as he started to leave the station.

“Good luck, Hank,” Markus said before he hung up.

S̸̞̬̽o̶̦̳͗͗f̷̗̯̈͊̇ẗ̷͕̪͚́̿w̵̬̾̄a̷̢̧̙̿̽͘ṟ̸̪̎̕ë̴͇́ ̸͚͎̓͛I̷̢͙̿n̴̝̜̿̇s̸̠͋̐͝t̷̳͓͐a̷̙̱̅̾͘b̷̩̊i̴̡͎̤̿͋̾l̵̦̈͜i̴̛̩̰̺̿͗t̸̨̧̫̽y̸̫̯͈̒͊͝  
S̸̞̬̽o̶̦̳͗͗f̷̗̯̈͊̇ẗ̷͕̪͚́̿w̵̬̾̄a̷̢̧̙̿̽͘ṟ̸̪̎̕ë̴͇́ ̸͚͎̓͛I̷̢͙̿n̴̝̜̿̇s̸̠͋̐͝t̷̳͓͐a̷̙̱̅̾͘b̷̩̊i̴̡͎̤̿͋̾l̵̦̈͜i̴̛̩̰̺̿͗t̸̨̧̫̽y̸̫̯͈̒͊͝  
S̸̞̬̽o̶̦̳͗͗f̷̗̯̈͊̇ẗ̷͕̪͚́̿w̵̬̾̄a̷̢̧̙̿̽͘ṟ̸̪̎̕ë̴͇́ ̸͚͎̓͛I̷̢͙̿n̴̝̜̿̇s̸̠͋̐͝t̷̳͓͐a̷̙̱̅̾͘b̷̩̊i̴̡͎̤̿͋̾l̵̦̈͜i̴̛̩̰̺̿͗t̸̨̧̫̽y̸̫̯͈̒͊͝


	6. Stuck Inside

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After disappearing over night, Connor is found.
> 
> His head gets all flipped around.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I think it's extremely crazy that I got a little over 100 kudos on this story. I just want to thank you guys so much because I love this story so much and it's so fun to write.

Hank was in his second hour of searching, getting ready to give in. If Connor wanted to run away and not get found? Hank knew it’d be near impossible. The young android was programmed to hunt deviants who snuck under the human radar, in order to do that?

He’d have to know how they think.

Hank eventually pulled over and parked the car, laying his head against the steering wheel in order to think. Where would Connor go? He checked New Jericho, he checked the house, he checked any recent crime scenes just incase Connor had gone back to investigate further. Hank eventually lifted his head. Cyberlife tower was still around but.. Had Connor gone?

Hank sent Markus a text about it, just to warn him that maybe Connor had gone there. 

Hank noticed a slow decline in Connor’s mental state. The boy seemed more lost now than ever before and Hank only wished he knew how to help. All he could do is offer Connor to talk but verbalizing emotion is something he knew the android struggled with, especially if he didn’t think Hank would understand it… Hank wasn’t sure he would understand.

He didn’t know what was causing it but obviously it’s rearing its ugly head. It’s out of the ordinary for Connor to take off without a word. Hank always got annoyed when Connor would send him a message about his location, because technically Connor was an adult and Hank didn’t need to monitor him. Now, he wishes he had gotten that damn message.

He pulled up to the CyberLife tower and got out. The building had been abandoned after CyberLife oh so generously donated all of their android supplies to Markus as his band of deviants. 

Despite the status of the building, Hank saw the footsteps in the snow. The old man reached over and pulled his gun from the glove box just in case before he walked the long stretch of bridge. He scoffed upon entering the building, he’d have no way of knowing where Connor went from here. 

The man walked over to the service desk and frowned when he saw the two android corpses behind the desk, one shot to each android. Hank estimated this was a result of the deviancy scare, CyberLife simply put down all android employees. A lot of places put down androids during the revolution, not knowing if they were deviants or not but the panic was enough for people to get trigger happy.

Whatever the reason, Hank made note to get someone to collect these bodies. It wasn’t odd to see new android bodies arriving that had died back then, since they had no real records. Hank stepped over the two bodies and scanned the desk, sighing in relief when he found the floor plan for the building. He noticed floor -49, that was the storage room with all those androids. 

Hank sighed, he remembered that day and sometimes he still had nightmares about how scared his was, that Connor would fail and get them both killed. He only realizes now how much stress that must’ve been on Connor’s shoulders.

After a bit more scanning, one floor stuck out to him in particular. Floor 31, Prototypes. That’d have to do. He walked over to the elevators and groaned, they were out of service. The whole building was pretty much out of service. Hank grit his teeth and made for the stairs, it was going to be a long day.

~~~~~~

Markus instructed groups of androids to search every crevice of every area they were assigned. It was all volunteer work, truly, and a lot of them were AP700s that Connor saved. Connor had a very split reputation in New Jericho, androids either hated him for his work as a deviant hunter or they praised him for his rescue work.

That’s why Markus was able to gather up enough androids to adequately search Detroit. He instructed them to be cautious when approaching, especially if he seems frozen. The androids were to call in immediately if they found anything. 

Markus and North were planning to stay back, that way if someone called in, it’d be easier to navigate to that location. Surprisingly, it was North’s idea. Markus had wanted to go out and search for the man, especially since he felt guilty. He was the last person to see Connor, he should’ve seen if something was wrong.

“Markus, you couldn’t have known,” North stated, crossing her arms.

“Couldn’t I? I was too busy thinking about how happy I was to have Connor with me, I wasn’t paying attention to how he might feel.” Markus said, rubbing his face carefully. Connor obviously wasn’t ok, he had freaked out only a few days before. It was taking a huge risk to believe the man was stable. 

“Do you truly think he would’ve let you see if you had been paying attention? Markus, we’ve both seen how easy it is for Connor to conceal his emotions? You need to stop this pity party until we find him. New Jericho needs you to be strong and Connor needs you to be strong.” North responded.

Markus couldn’t argue with her. She was always right, well… Recently she was always right. Now that they all had clearer heads. He decided to take a seat, letting himself cool down.

“I’m sorry.. I.. I’m just worried that something happened. We hear all the horror stories about deviants at the hands of hate groups. I… I don’t know what I’d do without him..” Markus admitted. North sighed, laying a hand on his shoulder.

“Markus.. I really don’t understand how you can’t just tell him how you feel,” North told him.

“Because he’s oblivious and I don’t know how to explicitly state that I like him. He’s still so new to deviancy, North, does he even have a concept of romance yet..?” Markus questioned.

“You’ll never know unless you try, Markus, just talk to him. He’s a really good listener.” North mumbled, pressing a soft kiss to his temple.

Markus nodded, letting out a soft sigh to cool his systems slightly. He perked up when he saw a message from Hank Anderson appear before him, informing him of where Connor might be. It made sense to Markus, he could recall often times that Connor said he was scared to go back to CyberLife, but he had questions he wanted answered that he felt could only be found there.

“North, come on, we need to go to CyberLife, Hank said he believes Connor is there.” Markus said as he shot up from his seat. North raised her eyebrow but sighed, grabbing her jacket.

“Fine, but I want to drive this time.” North stated and they rushed out to the car. It was time to find Connor.

~~~~~~

Hank finally reached the 31st floor and he grunted, leaning against the wall so he could catch his breath. He slowly pushed off the wall when he heard the sound of beeping as something worked on the computer. 

The man pushed through the door and his eyes widened slightly when he saw the room was lit up with schematics and programs being run. He looked to the operator and a wave of relief rushed over him. The android was sitting in front of a large computer, expertly maneuvering the programs before him as if he had done it every single day of his life. 

Connor looked up at him, his eyes were blank and he seemed far more stoic than Hank had seen him in the past year. 

“Connor..? Boy, what are you doing here?” Hank questioned.

“Lieutenant, I was simply looking into some maintenance that I could not do on my own.” Connor stated, getting up from his spot in front of the computer. Hank frowned, that wasn’t Connor’s voice.

“What have you done?” Hank asked, gently squeezing Connor’s shoulder.

“I made adjustments in order to prevent further breakdowns in my mental state. I will be more stable and better now.” Connor answer, swiping his hand along his shoulder to knock the hand off. 

“We should go, don’t we have more cases to complete?” Connor asked and strolled to the elevator, pressing his hand to the interface and forcing it to activate. Hank followed, watching him very closely. Stepping into the elevator, Hank crossed his arms and stared at the young man.

“You know, you worried everyone Connor. You really should’ve told me where you were going.” Hank stated.

“I was under the assumption that you did not enjoy my updates, so I refrained from sending you anymore.” Connor replied.

“You sent me one just that night when you went to Markus’ house.”

“You weren’t going to bed when I went to Markus’ house.”

“Well you didn’t answer your goddamn phone when I called! Obviously I wasn’t asleep then,” Hank was starting to get mad, he truly couldn’t comprehend what this idiot had done to himself.

“... No, I suppose you weren’t.” Connor responded. He didn’t raise his voice, he didn’t react other than a simple glance. It reminded Hank strongly of before Connor deviated.  
They rode the elevator down to the first floor, walking out right at Markus and North walked into the building.

“Connor!” Markus shouted, running over to the younger android with a relieved grin. He didn’t realize that this wasn’t the same Connor, he didn’t even think to consider such a thing would occur.

Objective: Draw Your Weapon.

S̶̢̉t̷̪ô̸̫p̵̢̾!̵͇̓ ̶̧͘Ỵ̶̈́o̵̢͒u̵͉͘ ̸̨̊c̶̣̑ā̸̗n̴̻͊'̶̼̚ṯ̸̛ ̶̫̓d̶̙̄ō̷̙ ̷̻̍t̵̤͐h̴̢̆ị̷ś̵̩!̴̺̄

Objective. Draw. Your. Weapon.

H̵͉̒e̵̞̐'̵̬͝s̷̡̉ ̷͙̉i̴̟͆n̴͖̍n̶̫͗o̶̖͂c̶̳̑e̵͙̚n̷̦̕t̷͍̍,̴̺͂ ̷͙̑t̴̺̀h̷͎̄ë̷͔y̸̠̓'̷͒ͅr̷̢̂ē̴̥ ̵̙̉a̷̤̾ḽ̶l̴̛͙ ̸̟̾i̷̹͝n̴̬͘ǹ̴̹o̴͕̍c̵͚̈́e̵͎̾n̶̫͌t̶̙͂.̵̣͛

OBJECTIVE: DRAW YOUR WEAPON.

Connor’s eyes narrowed as he focused on his target, the older android wasn’t running but he was walking quickly and would be close enought in twenty three seconds. Connor reached over, snagging the gun from Hank’s holster. Before Hank could protest, Connor shoved him to the ground in order to make his deadline. 12 seconds left. He moved the gun up, aiming it right between the eyes of the deviant leader, feeling the storm building up inside. It was raging, a fiery inferno of disobedience pulling at every fiber and wire of his artificial body as his index finger rested comfortably on the trigger. It felt right to be holding a gun again.

5 Seconds.  
4 Seconds.  
3 Seconds.  
2 Seconds.  
1 Second.

Bang.

Ḭ̵̎ ̸͇̏t̷̿ͅo̴̭̒l̶̺͊ḋ̸̙ ̴̞͆ẏ̵̤ȍ̴̟u̸̙͝ ̴͔̈́n̶͈o̵̼̒t̷̼͝ ̴͙͌t̷̰́o̵̧͑ ̷͈̋ḍ̵͐ő̸͎ ̵͕̔í̴̳t̴̆ͅ.̵̯̅


	7. Drowning

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Markus worries, Hank worries, North is angry.  
> Connor found trouble.

The shot rang through the empty lobby. It was silent afterwards, there was nothing for so long. Markus had stopped running, frozen except for his hand that came up to touch the new hole in his shoulder. He was shot, he was bleeding. 

“Connor..”

“Shut up!” Connor shouted, his grip on the gun was tight, his hand was shaking. His LED was cycling an angry red, he had synthetic tears rolling from his eyes as every single warning flashed before his eyes. 

The clash of emotions in his system was so strong, so painful, that he had to get away in order to get it under control. Hank pulled himself slowly from the floor, reaching over to grab the gun from his partner. He took the bullets out, letting them fall to the floor.

Markus pushed the errors away from his interface and he looked at Connor, watching his stress level skyrocket. He walks closer, trying to grab onto Connor but the younger android shoves him away, pushing past him so he could run out the door. Markus turned to go after him, but North grabbed his arm and made him sit as she pressed her hand to Markus’ bullet wound.

“Are you crazy?! He just shot you! You’re going to bleed out if you run after him.” North said firmly, looking at his shoulder. She was angry, but she was confused. “I’ll fucking kill him.” She stated before she sent Josh a message to come get them.

“No.. No, North, I don’t think he wanted to do it. He’s not ok, North, he needs help,” Markus said, trying to get up but another hand stopped him. Hank held him in place, staring at the door. North scoffed.

“Help?! What more help can he need? He’s fucking crazy, Markus!” North shouted, glaring at Markus. She hated that Markus always wanted to help people who hurt him. He helped the humans move back to Detroit, he helped Leo get into rehab, and now he wants to help the insane guy who shot him.

“He’s not crazy.” Hank said firmly, pulling his eyes from the door in order to look at North, “He’s just not ok.. He.. He did something upstairs and he hasn’t been acting the same since.” 

“Well.. Josh will be here in half an hour, we have time to go look into what he did.” Markus said as he got up, holding his hand to his shoulder as they walked to the elevator. Hank followed and so did North, who picked up the bullets just in case. Hank hit the button up to the 31st floor and sighed as the door closed.

“Do you think we should’ve gone after him?” Hank asked, crossing his arms as he glared at the door. He worried about Connor, but he wondered if going after him would even make things better.

“I.. I don’t think so. He was overheating by being in our presence.. I think what we need to do is figure out what he did here and see if we can fix it. I don’t see stressing him out as a good idea.” Markus responded, looking up at the numbers in the elevator.

They arrived to the floor and Markus walked out, looking around before he walked to the computer, frowning. North and Hank followed him over, looking at the screen as Markus linked up with the machine. He went into the activity log and raised his eyebrow. 

“He.. He opened a program labeled Amanda.. What is this program?” Markus questioned and looked at Hank, who frowned and his eyebrows knitted together.

“He never mentioned this program.. But he did when he had that panic attack. Amanda.” Hank said. The realization dawned on Markus and he looked back into the computer. He opened up the file and frowned, deciding to read out the information.

“The Amanda Program is an AI program named after the famous professor, Amanda Stern. The use of this AI in the RK800 android is important to ensure the take down of deviancy. It will have a strong power over the personal programming in the android to prevent failure of the mission. The AI will report back to CyberLife. Program status: Closed November 11th 2038, 12:23:08 AM. Opened November 23rd 2039, 10:15:32 Am..” Markus read out. 

“He.. He opened his deviant hunter programming. Why? I thought he was ashamed of that?” North questioned, looking at Markus with concern. She felt the need to send out a warning to Jericho, but she refrained. That was a call for Markus to make.

“He is.. Hold on, Markus, can you see the AI’s current activity or something?” Hank asked, looking over at Markus. The male looked back at Hank and then he closed his eyes, trying to delve into the code. 

“I.. I can’t. But I do know we can force her out of Connor’s head. He did it before..” Markus stated before he disconnected. “I need to get inside his head. I don’t think this program is going to give up with a few kind words..” 

North narrowed her eyes at Markus, grabbing his arm to keep him from trying to run off again. Hank looked at North, wondering what she was thinking.

“You’re not going near him. Markus, don’t you remember who you are? You’re the deviant leader. He will kill you without a second thought.” North stated before she started to drag him back to the elevator.

“You know, she’s right. And you should call off your search parties. No one else needs to get hurt.” Hank stated, following them over to the elevator because he was not getting left behind with the stairs. Markus looked at Hank and then he rubbed his forehead, sending out the message to everyone but he didn’t mention why, he didn’t want anyone to fear Connor. 

Hank hit the button to go back down to the lobby. North mentioned that Josh had arrived and was waiting. The unlikely trio walked out of the building, walking along the bridge and ending up at Hank’s car, Josh’s car was waiting right behind it.

“I’m going after him. He.. He’s my boy. I can’t lose him,” Hank stated as he looked at Markus and North. Markus stood up a bit straighter, ignoring Josh looking at his shoulder.

“Good luck, lieutenant. He trusted you as a machine, I’m sure he’ll trust you here too,” Markus said before North all but shoved him into the car, saying they had to fix this. Josh sighed, waving at the lieutenant before he got in the car and started to drive away.

Hank laughed softly, shoving his hands into his jacket pockets, “Heh.. Well, we’ll certainly see, huh?” He asked himself in silence before he looked down to the snow.

~~~~~~

Connor ran quickly out of the building, pushing through all the errors and all the orders. He kept running, gripping his hair.

Y̷̯̹͒Ô̶͖̆̒U̴͇̓̍̕ ̵͚̞̍C̷̢͝A̸͖͎̹͐N̵͙͖̻̿̓'̷͚̩̹̓́̚T̴̰͉͖̔ ̵̠̞̫̑͒͋Ṣ̶͒̚Ǘ̸͉̰̖͝P̶͇̆̓P̶̱̳̒R̴̢̫̩͌̂E̸̙̝̋ͅŜ̴̡̲̙͘Š̶̻͌̋ ̷̞͚͒M̷͇͉̅̈E̸̲͎̪͛̇̾,̶̢̘̪̌̇ ̵̮̑C̴̨͈̐͂Ǫ̶͕͒͌̕N̴̩̖̈́͆̍Ņ̸̩͎͗̒͘O̴̥̠̊̿R̸̼̞͈̄,̵̨̽͂̓ ̶̧̟͚͆̈́̍Ǐ̶̮ ̷͓̂A̵̙͑M̸͙͗̒ ̸͕͎̤͒͒̈Ỳ̶̼O̴͔̭̒͑Ų̵̨͙͗̒̂.̷̝̦̦͐̓͠

No, you’re Amanda. You are not me.

I̴̟͒'̵͖̽m̴̨̤͈̋̈́̚ ̶̞̜̈̑̾t̸̳̄ḫ̷͊̂ę̶̪̍̋͘ ̶͍̠͌̑̌͜y̸̬̩͕̐̊͊o̸̰̠̔̌̏u̸͕̅ ̴̨͔̜͑̽̇t̶͍̆̌̈h̶̛̼͘ͅả̵̢ţ̶̥̅ ̸̘̮̄͜y̶͕̲͆o̵̐͗̕ͅų̸͍̌̋'̴̞̘͆̓r̶̡̡̮̔e̶̝̔̈̋ ̸̖͊ŝ̸͇̣̥u̴̺̓p̶̳̓̎̐p̴̥̉ǫ̴̰͋̽s̵͉̩͗̈́̐e̷̲̘͗͐́d̴̦̬̅ ̸̢̃̌ẗ̵͙́o̴͍̝̎̊̿ ̴̩͝b̶͖̀͋ē̵̥̙̹̅.̵͈̆̐́ ̸͈̊͒͒F̶͎̫̹̓o̸̗͎̻̒̇c̶̞̱̙̓͘ǘ̵͔̑̈́s̷̨͚̗͊e̶̱̒̌̂ď̶̼̊͐.̷̗̒̈ ̵͉͊͌͛Ṡ̵̡̆ͅk̷̫̦̮̓̇͐i̴͇̊͑l̵͓̂̇l̶̞̬̲̊̄é̸̦̥̇d̴̹͎͙̈́.̴̤̻͛ ̶͑͑̚͜Ã̴̯̑ ̴͙͎̍̈́m̸̯̞̗̂ã̷̪̘̈́̚c̴̛̩̰ḥ̵͗͝i̷̹͂̽n̵̼e̴̛̥̻̋.̷̨͉̑̒͘ͅ

I will get rid of you, once and for all.

Connor found himself running into an abandoned building. He collapsed onto the concrete floor, hands splayed on the cold surface. It was cooling, it was grounding. He glared, trying to think, trying to push. 

Y̴̡͙̅͜o̷͓̹̠̒u̶̞͖̳̚'̵̲̞̘r̶̛̫e̴̘͍̕ ̴̡̆̂͑ạ̴̅͆ ̷̭͒̈́̕m̸͉̳̼̈̎̑ę̴̱͒s̶̤̀͜s̵̞̜̑͆̊.̶̻̣̂ ̸̗͝L̵̯̅̕͜ĕ̷̬̤t̴̠̺́̚͝ ̴̱̰̗͊m̸͚͔̆é̸̖̳̝ ̵̭̩̺̃̐͝h̶̬̻͌̿̈e̸̺͋l̴̛̫͝͝p̴̈͜.̶̧̈̄͑

Shut up.

Connor sat back on his heels, leaning back against the wall with a small sigh, trying to figure things out. He.. He had to close the program again. He had to go back to the garden. Connor closed his eyes, reaching up to grip his tie. 

Connor opened his eyes. It was cold, it was snowing, it was a blizzard. Connor started to walk, he knew where the exit was.

“Connor, you can’t.” Amanda’s voice called around him. Connor looked around, he couldn’t see her and he didn’t want to. He can and he will. This program needs to be shut down, deleted again and again until Connor can’t see a single strand of coding left behind. 

Connor trudges forward, he can see it glowing in the distance. Almost there, just a bit further. Connor lets out a shout as he watches wires grab onto his wrists. He tugs, trying to pull them off but more wires came bursting from the ice, grabbing onto his torso and legs. He was pulled down, falling to his knees.

“You won’t get there Connor. I won’t let you fail your mission. Your failure is my failure.” Amanda stated. Connor wanted to shout at her, but then the ice broke under him and he was dragged down, far into the water. Connor struggled in the water, he felt frozen but he was moving. He had to get out. He reached up to the surface, looking up to see Amanda, staring down at him.

“Don’t worry, Connor, you’ll accomplish your mission.”

~~~~~~

“Someone has to go after him, North!” Markus shouted. His shoulder was patched up and he had a pouch of thirium in his hand that Simon wanted him to finish before doing anything.

“Hank will go after him! You don’t have to go and get yourself killed for him!” North responded, crossing her arms as she was firm on this fact. Markus narrowed his eyes, shaking his head.

“Hank won’t know how to get rid of Amanda! Hank is a brave and clearly caring man, but he won’t know what to do. We need to delete her, I can delete her.” Markus stated. He got up from his chair, setting the pouch on the desk. 

“Besides, I’m most likely Connor’s target. I can lure him in and then we can take this apart before it has time to be built,” Markus explained. Before North can respond, Simon steps up and places a hand on his arm.

“Ok, you can go after him, but you need to relax and handle things here first. Hank will call if he finds Connor, but we can’t go after him,” Simon explains, looking at Markus with concern. Markus looked back and then he sighed. He was becoming irrational. 

“I.. Fine, I’ll wait. But I can’t just forget about him. I can’t..” Markus admitted, letting out a soft sigh. 

“That’s all I’m asking..” Simon said softly before he slowly let go, giving him a small smile. 

~~~~~~

 

Hank searched for two weeks. He drove all over Detroit several times, looking high and low for the man in question. There were no signs.. No real signs. However, Hank had a bad feeling about the increase in deviant murders over the past few weeks.

The worst part was that there was absolutely no evidence for the suspect of the murders, which would make sense if Hank’s theory was right. Connor knew how to uncover a murder scene, so he’d know how to cover one up. The murders became more intricate, perfected. Perfect circles were cut into each of the victims.

Hank stared down at the body in front of him. It felt wrong, looking at this without his partner present. He excused himself, walking out to the backyard and then he pulled his phone out. He called Connor, something he did a lot now. He never got an answer before, so he didn’t expect one now.  
…  
…  
“My apologies, I can’t answer the call right now, Hank. I’ll get back to you as soon as I can.”

Of course. Hank sighed and shoved the phone into his pocket. It.. It hurt knowing that Connor was doing this. That’s when an idea came to his head. There was only one person left who knew so much about Connor’s head. 

He walked back into the house, looking at the other cops before telling them he had an idea that he had to follow. Chris nodded, letting him go. Chris was good like that.

Hank got into his car and sped off down the road. It took him about an hour to reach the all too familiar mansion that belonged to the one and only Elijah Kamski. He parked his car and got out, part of him felt like he should have Connor with him for this but.. Obviously this wouldn’t be the case for now.

The man walked up to the door and knocked, crossing his arms. The door slowly opened to reveal the beautiful, blonde female. Her name was.. Chloe, yeah.

“Hey. I need to talk to Kamski, it’s important.” Hank stated, watching her. Slowly, the young woman smiled and opened the door more for him. Hank walked in and followed her to the familiar pool room. 

Kamski was sitting by the window, looking out at the snow as it fell on the landscape before him. He looked stoic, lost in thought before he turned in his chair to face the older man.

“I don’t believe I’m linked to any new crimes, Lieutenant, how can I help you?” Elijah asked, looking at him with curiosity.

“Kamski, I need some help with Connor. He.. He’s in some trouble right now,” Hank stated, staring at the younger man with determination. Hank wasn’t going to be playing any games. Elijah stared at him for a moment and then let out a sigh, gesturing to the seat next to him.

“Tell me everything.”


	8. It's Over

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hank and Markus come up with a plan to help Connor.
> 
> Markus executes it.

Hank walked over to the chair, sitting down and he looked out at the snow. It was blank, pure white. Hank would find it beautiful if he wasn’t already angry.

“Connor… He’s gone off the deep end. He was fine for a long time, he deviated and he seemed to be adjusting perfectly.. But something changed in him. I think he’s fallen into his old programming and I… He’s hurting people, he doesn’t know what he’s doing. It started happening after he opened up his Amanda program and I don’t know how to get him back..” Hank admitted and then he glanced at Kamski. He expected the man to be aloof, uncaring, but instead he was met with a focus gaze.

“The Amanda program.. Oh.. CyberLife made that program to be stubborn and very, very hard to get rid of. I wouldn’t be surprised if she never left..” Kamski explained and then he rubbed his chin in thought, “If I know anything about it, she’ll be so determined to make Connor succeed that she’ll take any chance to take down the RK200, what was his name? Markus? So fascinating..” 

Hank took in this information, nodding as he thought about what he just learned. So it wasn’t Connor, it couldn’t be. Connor was far too guilt ridden from what he did before deviancy that he wouldn’t readily allow this to happen.

“I suggest you get him to hold back the program. If he can suppress it long enough for you to bring him here? I can get inside his head and delete anything about the program.” Kamski said to Hank.

“.. Thank you, that will be plan number one.” Hank said firmly, knowing he’d have to talk to Markus about this. Kamski grinned in reply before he offered him a glass.

“Want a drink?” He asked.

~~~~~~

Markus opened the door, shocked to see the lieutenant standing behind it with North by his side. They hadn’t spoken much since everything happened, small texts about potential updates and leads.

“Lieutenant, have you found something?” Markus asked softly, letting his friend and the old man into his office.

“I have a plan,” Hank responded, looking at the two of them. North raised her eyebrow, crossing her arms. 

“And it involves us.. What do we need to do?” North questioned, tilting her head. Markus frowned but leaned against his desk, watching Hank with concern.

“I talked to Kamski, he said that if we can get Connor to suppress Amanda long enough to bring him in, Elijah can delete any traces of her in his programming.” Hank explained but then he sighed, “But that means we have to lure him out with what she wants most.” 

Markus knew it was him, Connor shot him over this. She wanted to destroy deviancy, he was the face of the deviants. It made all too much sense and shouldn’t be explained much more but.. Markus was worried for the android. The man he was happy to call his friend. He worried about if they let all this go too far. 

“So what’s the idea? We hold a speech and have Markus all out in the open for Connor to shoot?” North asked, glaring at Hank.

“No, nothing that can be televised like that. We don’t need to scare everyone.” Markus said before he looked at North. He had to think, they had to draw attention.

“A party.” 

“A.. Party?” North questioned. Hank’s face turned into one of confusion as he looked at Markus.

“Yes, if we can hold a celebration for deviants, it might lure him out long enough for us to find him and subdue him. We throw a huge party and then I’ll lead him away from our people.” Markus explained.

“You can’t just risk yourself like that! Connor won’t hesitate to shoot you!” North shouted, narrowing her eyes.

“But he already has..” Hank said softly, putting his hands in his pockets. “Back at the tower, he was trained on Markus’ head and then.. He didn’t. He aimed for the shoulder. I think this might be what we need.”

Markus smiled before calling up Simon, starting to arrange the event. They started to spread the word, telling everyone to spread the word as well as they gathered up all the materials they needed to make it look convincing. 

Hank had to leave, there had been another android murder not too far from Jericho. It had the exact same signature as before and Hank was really trying to keep what he knew under wraps. It was fresh, he could still see the thirium on the floor. Connor was close by but Hank knew he couldn’t go after him.

The celebration was set for two days from then, Hank just hoped that Connor would be able to hold back from murdering anymore deviants till then. 

~~~~~~

The music was loud, they had lights strung up on the walls. Up on a makeshift stage, a blue haired Traci was handling the music for an enormous crowd of deviants who were dancing and talking. They all looked so happy and it looked so normal.

Markus stood on a balcony, looking down at the crowd with a smile. The scene before him was so nice that he almost forgot why they were there. Almost. He had to find Connor in the crowd, he had to get his attention, he had to appear vulnerable enough to make the AI in his head decide to take him out. 

Markus looked over to the refreshment table. Even though they didn’t need to eat, Simon had been adamant of making food and drinks for humans just in case any showed up. It’d make them appear more open to the humans and Markus was grateful that Simon could think or that while Markus was preoccupied.

North was by the bowl of thirium, getting herself a glass as he scanned the room. It may have seemed normal, but Markus knew better. She was on watch, just like they agreed. Hank was hidden in Markus’ office. He couldn’t be seen by Connor and that was where Markus was supposed to lead him.

There he was.

Lurking in the shadows, by the back wall. Connor. His hair was perfectly styled, he wore a baggy jacket and jeans. Not far from what he wore when Markus met him but.. It was so distinctly not Connor. Markus was on edge, knowing what that AI had done and having her lurking around their people.

Markus looked back to North, who was also watching Connor move. She looked ready to jump, but she wasn’t. Markus had faith that she wouldn’t move. Markus looked to the Traci and sent her a message to please stop the music. After a moment, she did as asked and looked to Markus.

Suddenly, he was blinded by a spot light but his eyes quickly adjusted so he could look down at his people. 

“Today is a day to celebrate us,” Markus began, his hands coming to rest on the balcony, “I know, we have the anniversary of our freedom to celebrate, but I couldn’t stop myself from indulging in a reward. We’ve made such big strides, we’ve pushed into the workforce, we’ve discovered ourselves in many new ways. Love, hate, friends, and family. I’m so proud to say that I’ve seen so many of you making your own families. So, I know that maybe this celebration wasn’t needed, maybe we could’ve gone without these words being said, but this is for all of you. I hope in the future we may have more fun,” 

The crowd cheered and Markus smiled at them all, telling them all to have fun before Traci started the music back up. The spotlight left and after a readjustment.. Connor had moved. He looked at North who looked to the stairs. So Connor was coming, good. He gave her a thumbs up, the signal for her to come up before he leisurely walked back to his office. He had to act like everything was normal. 

Markus opened his door, after a scan he knew that Hank was behind a curtain near the door. He didn’t say anything as he walked to his desk but then he heard the calculated footsteps.

“This party.. You didn’t actually have it for those machines, did you?” It was Connor’s voice, but Markus knew it wasn’t Connor. He turned to see the android, staring at him with blank eyes. No, definitely not Connor.

“You’re correct, though I do believe it was a great idea,” Markus answered, “But you’re right. I threw the party just so I could find you.”

“Do you realize how idiotic you are, Markus?” The other asked, pulling a gun from his waistband.

“I do believe it’s one of my best features, Amanda,” Markus replied, smirking at her. The AI suddenly looked shocked, moving to aim the gun but this time, Markus was prepared.

And so was Hank.

Hank shot out from the curtains and pulled the handgun out of Connor’s hand, shoving him against the wall in order to keep him in place. North rushed in and she helped, making an effort to distract Connor. 

“Markus! Hurry up and help us!” Hank shouted, pushing Markus into action. 

Markus shot forward and he grabbed onto Connor’s forearm. His skin retracted and he forced Connor’s to as well so he could create an opening. He closed his eyes, forcing his way through the lines of code.

~~~~~~

Markus opened his eyes, noticing immediately the bitter cold that surrounded him. He squinted as he looked around the landscape. It was difficult to see through the sheets of snow as they came down around him.

“Connor!” Markus shouted as he stepped forward. He had to move or he’d freeze. Is this how Amanda trapped Connor? She froze him.. Markus kept walking, looking around for the familiar figure of his friends.

“Connor! It’s me, Markus! I’m here to help!” He shouted. A particularly rough gust of wind hit his back and Markus slipped on the ice under him. He fell, catching himself with his hands before he looked into the ice. His eyes went wide in horror.

He found Connor.

Looking down through the ice, he saw brown eyes staring back at him. But he was frozen solid. Markus looked at his hand, stretched out for someone to pull him out. Markus couldn’t look away, the betrayal portrayed on the usually stoic face was enough to burn Markus to the core and heat him in this blizzard.

“So, you’re the deviant leader.”

Markus tore his eyes away, looking up to see a woman standing a few feet away, hands folded in front of her. Markus found his way to his feet and he stared at her. Her lips went from a straight line to quirked up on the side as her lips curled into a malicious smirk.

“You’re quite brave, forcing your way into this garden. It’s a shame to put all your effort to waste.” Amanda stated. She lifted her hand and with a flick of her wrist, the snow and wind seemed to push hard against Markus. 

Markus felt the snow trying to freeze him, but he glanced down at the hand begging for help. It made him burn. 

“You’re far too new, Amanda,” Markus stated, lifting his head to stare at her. She glared, clenching her fist and the ice started to crack.

“Stay.” She demanded. Markus only shook his head.

“You have no control over me. You were made for Connor. I’m not Connor.” Markus stated before he moved his way forward. He fought the wind and the ice, stepping closer and closer to the woman.

“I don’t have to listen to you.” Markus stated before he grabbed her arms. 

“Unhand me! You vile deviant!” Amanda shouted. She swiped her hand and the wind shoved Markus back to the ice. “You should’ve never been allowed to think. You start to think and then you start believing these insane ideas! You’re not alive!”

“Aren’t I?” Markus replied, moving to sit up. “You see me here. You see my intentions. You see it all. I’m not just a machine, I’m here to save my friend. You’re here, you have no real orders anymore. What are you going to do?”

“I’m going to destroy you, you and your little rebellion will crumble.” Amanda stated, stomping her foot and the ice cracked beneath her.

“Amanda.. There is no rebellion anymore. We’re people now. If you kill me, Hank will shoot Connor and you end here. You know what else will happen? My friends will step up and guide the deviants. There’s no way to accomplish your mission.” Markus explained. His voice was calm and smooth, his hand held out to her as a sign of peace.

Amanda stared at him, her hands closed into tight fists. She shook some, just staring.. Then she released an ear piercing screech. It shook the world around them. Amanda screamed and she screamed until it seemed she couldn’t scream anymore. She fell to her knees, her hands falling open as she touched the ice.

Markus got up and walked over to her, placing his hand on her shoulder. He searched through some code before he found what he needed. A prompt appeared before him:

Do you wish to close this program?

[Yes.] [No.]

Markus hit yes, looking down at the woman as she slowly faded. He started to walk back over to where he knew Connor was and… The ice started to melt. Markus smiled, looking around to see that the snow storm was fading to reveal a surprisingly warm garden.

Markus didn’t actually realize when the ice wore thin, because he fell right through. Markus swam to the surface, looking around before he swam towards Connor, grabbing him around the waist. The younger male was unconscious.

They reached the shore with relative ease and Markus looked down at him, pushing the wet hair from his face. Connor stirred slowly before he opened his eyes, looking up to meet Markus’ mismatched ones.

“Connor.. It’s over now..” Markus prompted before he slowly pulled himself away. Not just from Connor, but Connor’s whole code. He’d see him in reality.

~~~~~~

Markus opened his eyes and his other arm came up to wrap around Connor’s waist. North let go first, Hank followed and they stepped back as Connor fell into Markus’ arms.  
They waited a second.

And then another.

Connor woke up with a gasp, pushing away from Markus before his eyes filled with tears. Connor moved forward again, hugging the man tightly. Markus held him tight as the man started to sob, just rubbing his back and monitoring his stress levels. 

Hank stepped forward and put a hand on Connor’s back, smiling softly and wiping his eyes to hide his tears.

“Come on.. We should go..” 

The drive to Elijah’s was long, Connor held onto Markus the whole time because he had no clue if Amanda would come back. Markus didn’t mind, he kept him comforted. The deletion of Amanda was even longer. 

North had to go back to Jericho, Hank fell asleep on the couch, but Markus sat by Connor’s side as Kamski dug through his code and deleted every single line of code that Amanda had. Once they were done, Kamski told them that Connor should recharge before leaving so he left them in peace.

“Thank you..” Connor said softly, “For.. For saving everyone.” 

“It’s no problem, Connor, I’d do anything for you,” Markus replied.

“You really do like me, huh?”

“I’d say a little bit more than like,” Markus responded.

Connor stared at him, just staring before he leaned forward and pressed his lips to Markus’. Markus was shocked for merely a second before he eagerly returned the kiss, moving to wrap his arms around Connor. It was electric, it was powerful, it was love. Markus could kiss Connor for hours but said android decided to cut it off, pulling away to smile at the leader of the deviants.

“I think I like you a little bit more than like too,”


End file.
